I still want to see DWill steal the job from Acosta. He nails down that premier league spot he should.
If you want a better LB, move Johnson there and bring Nagbe into the midfield. Also, Dwyer and Feilhaber deserve more chances in my book, but Altidore and Bradley will not and should not get benched for them.
I would guess Pulisic was in some selections. I would not have had a problem with that. Who did you have in your best xi in Pulisic's position a month before he got his first cap?
I didn't include Pulisic until after the Honduras game. I rather watch how a player does with the NT than guide myself on their club performance.
This is where I am at save for Acosta. I don't know who to replace him with. Moving Nagbe (CM) or Pulisic (CAM/SS) inside makes the wing dropoff significant. Could move FJ up but then I'd have to start Villafana. Dempsey or Pulisic as CAM in a diamond is too light on defense and as the 2nd forward tends to isolate Jozy where he struggles. I prefer Wood in that setup. Could pair Cameron with Bradley but then I am not comfortable with Gonzalez at CB. I guess I would start Bedoya for now.
Problem is, I'm in the camp that thinks Nagbe is terribly overrated. Anyone that inept in the final 1/3 shouldn't be playing midfield at this level. As stated, I'd have Bradley and Altidore coming off the bench.
. Your lineup has dynamic and skilled players. I would worry about Cameron's passing/distributions skills out of the 6 . While I personally prefer Morris as the guy getting behind the defense, Wood is a handful and Dwyer might be the right 2nd strikerfinisher. Yes, the last guy you'd want is Nagbe flopping in his own defensive third on turn over of possession because he was too slow and have Pulisic and Fab and Benny walking the counter up the pitch, lol.
I'm 100% ok with Morris or Wood. Would probably just play whoever was "on" at the moment. IMO, Cameron > Bradley at distribution, defense, etc... pretty much everything other than free kicks and long range shots on goal. With Benny on the pitch, free kicks would be taken care of.
Everybody: "Bruce Arena only plays his vets!" Everybody:"Why is he playing Acosta and Arriola! (biting fingernails)!?"
Bradley has pretty consistently completed passes at a higher percentage than Cameron. Speaking of passing % Nagbe's passing percentage in the final third is 89.8% and based on the location and direction of his passes he surpasses his expected completion percentage by 13.8%. Both of those are the best of any player in MLS with a significant sample size of passes. Could you speak on that?
Geoff Cameron was perhaps the worst-rated player we had in Brazil. Take for example: http://www.pennlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/07/world_cup_player_ratings_belgi.html It's as if everybody here is suffering of amnesia. I hope he does better if he's given the chance to play DM again, though.
Center mids hit their wall around 33 years old. Cameron is to old to play CM in a WC (so is Jones). He would require every other game off and that's fine for group play but not the elimination rounds. He also is the perfect partner for Brooks and CB's can play at older ages.
How many of Bradley's "completed" balls are backwards to his CB's or fullbacks? My 58 year old mother can do that. I'm laughing as I type that bc I'm watching TFC vs NYC and Bradley just played 4 straight back passes in the span of 20 seconds. He's amazing at destroying attacks. Nagbe offers decent speed and, unlike 90% of our current player pool, will run in to open space. But that's it. He's terrible at creating in the final 1/3, has poor vision, and his off the ball movement/positioning is pretty bad for a NT player. Our media and fan base "ooo's" and "aahhh's" at all the least important attributes you should want/require from NT players. Nagbe, Bedoya, Zusi, Bradley, Zardes and Altidore are prime examples.
Alternative facts? Cameron-Jones was the central pair in that match, with Cameron in the DM role. At least in this universe. See Zonal Marking analysis of the game (quite good, actually): http://www.zonalmarking.net/2014/07...nate-but-takes-ages-to-make-the-breakthrough/ "The key factor was a direct result of the most surprising selection decision. Beckerman and Jermaine Jones had worked excellently as a duo throughout this competition, and bringing in Cameron in a (relatively) unfamiliar position didn’t make much sense." Cameron was the weak spot in our midfield, the reason we got so dominated. But folks here don't seem to have watched that game.
Maybe Nagbe takes more dribbles Here's the football I would prefer http://spurs.247sports.com/Bolt/WAT...ful-no-dribble-fast-break-vs-Memphis-51946585 The San Antonio Spurs know a thing or two about visually-appealing basketball. The latest example came during the Spurs victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in San Antonio on Thursday night. With the Spurs holding a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Kawhi Leonard turned an errant Grizzlies pass into a steal, and ignited a fast-break that ultimately resulted in a lay-up on the other end - without the ball once touching the floor. Needless to say, the basketball media and fans are more sophisticated than US soccer media.
What I'd like to see emerge for a year from now: -------------------Howard -Yedlin--Cameron---Brooks--Fana ------------------Bradley --Chandler-------------------Carleton ------------------Pulisic -------Wood-------------Altidore But I have a hard time imagining Bruce Arena starting two teenage midfielders, even if they were the best options. .
For the NT, Cameron has been much better as a CB than as a CM. For the NT, Johnson has been much better as a LB than as a LW. People criticize Villafana for failing to get any crosses through --they should watch Fabian last two games. What is bad as a LB, is unforgivable in a LW. I'd need to see Cameron as a CM with the NT before considering moving him out of the defense line. The only guy who could act as a director of the defense, were Cameron out, is Besler. But I don't think Bruce is going to play two lefties as CBs (Besler-JAB).
Villafana prefers getting to the 6m box. Good for him. Having said that, I belive it was Villafana who made the cross that Dempsey headed into the post in GC.